Couldn't you go for a nice glass of rose after today's work day? I know I could!
So let's get to the results of yesterday's Marriage Mondays so that you all can go out and have a glass of rose to celebrate!
Just a little change up in today's result post -- instead of proposing a recipe with the winning cheese and our rose, I will suggest a pairing concept and will also provide you with examples of what beverages the other two cheeses might work with most successfully.
Who's ready?!!?
Let's first discuss the two contestants that did not win out this week and why:
Contestant Number # 2: Old Chatham Sheepherding Company's Ewe's Blue - Our lovely New Yorker just simply didn't make the cut, she has too much of a fantastic presence and commandeers the relationship so it becomes all about her, not that that is bad, it just doesn't form an equal relationship. I think if you were to toss the cheese in a nice simple summery spinach salad with roasted almonds, diced strawberries, basil and dill and a nice vinaigrette, you would see that the wine could work with contestant number two. However, should you not feel like making a salad to pair the wine with Ewe's Blue, I would recommend a light red wine or even a Belgian style beer with this cheese -- the wine in this case will play off the spicy piquant notes of the cheese and bring them into another light.
Contestant Number # 3 : Uplands Pleasant Ridge Reserve -- This big guy just isn't on the same planet as our rose -- they clash unfortunately. Roses need lighter more delicate cheeses and Uplands certainly isn't the most delicate cheese of the bunch. A fantastic mouthful of buttery, nutty, caramelly, butterschotchy goodness, this cheese should be paired with a nice medium bodied red wine in winter months or even a pilsner style beer in summer months. Should you want to pair this with a lighter beverage, certain white wines, like a medium bodied Tocai might work. However, if I were you, I'd stick to the red wine or beer route.
Contestant Number # 1 : Therefore by process of elimination, we can see that Ploughgate's Hartwell is the winner of this week's Marriage Mondays. The lusciousness yet lightness of the cheese finds its complement in the juiciness yet similar lightness of the wine. This is a great example of opposites attracting, the wine will dial down the creaminess of the cheese and exemplify the grassy, hay-like notes while still giving the wine's watermelon, strawberry, spice moments the opportunity to shine as well. So what would you pair this with? Well, I would suggest just some nice ciabatta bread. You can try out a dried fig or even some raw honey for a little pizazz, but I think you really want to allow each of these two elements to sparkle on their own.
What are your thoughts? Do you agree? Give it a go and let me know your feedback! Enjoy your evening folks!
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